The 11 Best Action Sports Photos of 2016, According to Red Bull

You might wanna sit down for this one

By The Editors

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03 October 2016

Extreme sports deserve extremely good photography.

It's a question of vicariousness: since most of us will never jump a mountain bike off of a moving car but all of us will daydream about it, it’s helpful to have as clear a mental picture of it as possible.

Hence the existence Red Bull Illume, an annual photography contest celebrating the brave souls who capture extreme sports athletes mid-magic. It took 53 judges to select the 11 winners out of 30,000 (!) contenders this year, which they divided into categories you'll get acquainted with below.

Close UpDenis KleroA close up in black and white of climber Rustam Gelmanov showing his chalk-covered hands in Fontainebleu, France.

EnergyLuke ShadboltThe power of nature in stunning black and white, depicting Surfer Renan Faccini cheering as a huge swell pounds a rock wall in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

EnhanceDean TremlCliff diver Jonathan Paredes jumps from the 28-meter platform on the roof of the Copenhagen Opera House during the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, 2013.

LifestyleJody MacDonaldThe photographer, Jody, took this picture of her brother Ken MacDonald sitting atop a train during their adventure through the Sahara Desert.

New CreativityAle di LulloDi Lullo captured Aaron Chase hopping his mountain bike off the windshield of an NYC cab.